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After the gathering of the four single-attribute families, Tang San felt frustrated but could do nothing about it.
Originally, Tang San had planned to absorb the three major single-attribute families into the Tang Sect, which would allow him to significantly expand the Tang Sect. At that point, the Tang Sect would have over a thousand soul masters and multiple top-tier experts, becoming a massive sect.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. The four single-attribute families immediately fell apart during the gathering, and even Tai Tan and Niu Gao, who were once brothers, completely severed ties.
However, after receiving an order from Crown Prince Xue Qinghe for two thousand Zhuge Divine Crossbows, Tang San quickly regained his confidence.
Xue Qinghe explicitly stated that this initial order was just the beginning. If the power of the Tang Sect's hidden weapons proved satisfactory, he would report to Emperor Xue Ye, and the empire would reassess and potentially place a much larger order.
At this moment, Tang San felt as if he were standing on a broad, sunlit path. He believed the Tang Sect was about to rise.
Without delay, Tang San and Tai Tan left Tian Dou City, heading to Gengxin City to purchase large quantities of raw materials. They also planned to recruit some skilled blacksmiths.
Unfortunately, when they arrived in Gengxin City, their hopes were dashed.
Niu Gao and Elder Ning Fengyuan of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had arrived in Gengxin City a week earlier.
The two acted like nouveau riche, sweeping through the entire city and buying everything in sight.
Ning Fengyuan, a Soul Sage with the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda martial spirit, possessed exceptional detection abilities, allowing him to locate various rare metals.
The two were not short on funds, especially Ning Fengyuan, who likely received instructions from Ning Fengzhi and carried a card loaded with hundreds of millions of gold spirit coins.
They stayed in Gengxin City for a full five days, clearing out all the raw metal materials on the market, emptying the weapon stocks of every blacksmith shop, and even recruiting a large number of blacksmiths to leave with them.
Of course, there were those who mistook the two for easy targets and tried to provoke them, only to meet with a harsh response.
Niu Gao, a powerful Title Douluo, only needed to display a fraction of his strength to silence any challengers.
As an elder of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengyuan was equally shrewd and capable. His detection abilities were extraordinary, and even deeply hidden treasures could not escape his notice.
After the two left Gengxin City satisfied, Tang San and Tai Tan arrived two days later.
By then, Gengxin City had been thoroughly swept clean. All that remained were low-value, ordinary iron ores. Even with Tang San's intelligence and Tai Tan's high status in the Blacksmiths' Association, there was no way to procure more raw materials or find any overlooked treasures.
In the end, Tang San and Tai Tan had no choice but to purchase the leftover raw stones that Niu Gao and Ning Fengyuan had discarded.
As for recruiting blacksmiths, even Tang San lacked the time and energy to pursue that further.
News of Xiao Wu being hidden at Shrek Academy by the Spirit Hall had spread across the entire Douluo Continent. Even in Gengxin City, countless people were talking about Xiao Wu. When discussing the hundred-thousand-year shape-shifting spirit beast, their eyes gleamed with greed.
Tang San was deeply alarmed. Although Shrek Academy had its own teachers and Principal Flender, the desire of soul masters for a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast could not be quelled by just two Soul Douluos.
Thus, Tang San's heart raced with urgency. He wanted to return to protect Xiao Wu as soon as possible and did not spend much time on other matters.
…
Inside the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, within Ning Fengzhi's secret chamber—a place of absolute secrecy and safety for the sect.
Present were Yang Xiong, Ning Fengzhi, Ning Rongrong, Sword Douluo, Dugu Bo, Lin Gong, Meng Shu, and even Yang Wudi, who had specially returned.
At this moment, Yang Xiong held a dark green bead in his hand—it was Dugu Bo's Poison Core.
Yang Xiong had specifically sought out Dugu Bo to borrow his Poison Core and had even consulted him about the method used to condense it.
Dugu Bo was utterly exasperated: "Little monster, what got into your head? My Poison Core was unintentionally formed when I broke through to become a Title Douluo. You're cultivating just fine—why do you want to condense something like a Poison Core?"
Yang Xiong smiled faintly: "Thank you, Senior Poison Douluo. I've been thinking about this for some time. It might truly enhance my strength and solve a significant problem."
Everyone in the room glared at Dugu Bo as if blaming him for creating such a troublesome Poison Core, which now made Yang Xiong so interested in condensing one himself.
Dugu Bo felt a chill run down his spine: "Little monster, I've told you everything I know. Don't blame me if anything goes wrong."
Yang Xiong quickly replied: "Senior Poison Douluo, I'm extremely grateful to you. Perhaps your Poison Core is the greatest discovery in the soul master world."
Yang Xiong had long harbored a question. Although Dugu Bo was known as invincible in group battles, his soul power level was among the lowest of all Title Douluos. Even after years as a Title Douluo, his strength had not improved.
Yet, he possessed immense area-of-effect destructive power, making even other Title Douluos powerless against him. Besides the unique nature of his martial spirit, it was likely due to his Poison Core, which allowed him to possess deeper soul power and better utilize wide-scale attacks.
Yang Xiong had carefully studied the Poison Core for several days. Though it appeared to be a simple sphere, its interior structure was incredibly complex.
This Poison Core contained not only half of Dugu Bo's strength but was also formed when his martial spirit evolved from the Jade Phosphor Serpent to the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor. It held countless secrets.
After gaining a general understanding of the process and operational principles behind condensing the Poison Core, Yang Xiong decided to create a soul core for himself.
In the world of Douluo, the soul core was the greatest revolution that could change everything. Once soul masters truly possessed soul cores, the emergence of large numbers of Title Douluos would follow, and their strength would see a significant increase.
Only by condensing a soul core could the cultivation of Title Douluos truly progress without hindrance, even allowing ordinary Title Douluos to reach higher levels.
Similarly, many top-tier Soul Douluos stuck at bottlenecks could break through to the Title Douluo level through the soul core. However, such breakthroughs often resulted in stagnation afterward.
It could be said that the soul core was the true game-changer in the soul master world, and Dugu Bo's Poison Core was its prototype.
The reason Title Douluos advanced so slowly was that their soul power underwent a qualitative transformation, changing from liquid to solid. Thus, each level-up beyond the Title Douluo stage became exceedingly difficult.
Although Yang Xiong didn't possess Huo Guan's dual martial spirits, he was confident in condensing his first soul core. His extreme physical strength and attributes would serve as the foundation.
With his eyes closed, Yang Xiong sat cross-legged in the center of the secret chamber. Instantly, he summoned his martial spirit, turning his entire body crimson and revealing intricate golden patterns.
Yang Xiong's strength surged to its peak; every cell, muscle fiber, and drop of marrow seemed to boil with energy.
Following this, his soul power began circulating in a unique manner—the same method Dugu Bo used to condense his Poison Core.
Body-type martial spirits differed from others. Many martial spirits could condense their essence into the palm, but since the body-type martial spirit encompassed the entire body, it couldn't be condensed directly.
However, as Yang Xiong pushed his martial spirit to its limits, his body and martial spirit began to gradually separate. A blood-red shadow resembling Yang Xiong appeared around him, identical in appearance but far more ferocious and powerful.
Under Yang Xiong's control, all his soul power surged like a mighty river, coursing rapidly throughout his body.
As time passed, a blood-red shadow gradually emerged before Yang Xiong, as if his body-type martial spirit had fully separated.
At this moment, Yang Xiong's mental strength seemed to reach its peak. All his soul power radiated outward, beginning to coalesce in front of him.
Yang Xiong planned to condense his first soul core into a Strength Core, concentrating all his power into one entity—the strongest aspect of his body-type martial spirit at this stage.
As time progressed, Yang Xiong's soul power was consumed at an alarming rate. When nearly half of his soul power was depleted, the shadow of his martial spirit began to gradually solidify.
At this moment, Yang Xiong seemed to unleash every ounce of his strength—not from a single source but from every muscle, every drop of blood, as if draining all his energy.
The blood-red shadow before him began to transform. Originally a gaseous and virtual figure, it now started to solidify, eventually forming a rapidly spinning liquid sphere.
Yang Xiong dared not let his guard down. Condensing the first soul core was far more difficult than he had imagined, especially given the unique nature of his body-type martial spirit.
But now, Yang Xiong had no way back. Every ounce of his strength seemed nearly depleted—not just his physical power, but also his blood essence and even the density of his bones. These were the critical components of his extreme strength.
The blood-red sphere in front of Yang Xiong spun faster and faster. With the continuous infusion of soul power, it rotated at high speed, unable to stop.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Yang Xiong's strength, mental energy, and soul power were nearly exhausted. The blood-red soul core began to transition from liquid to solid, resembling a crimson bead.
Upon closer inspection, this crimson bead bore a striking resemblance to Dugu Bo's Poison Core—not only in surface patterns but also in internal structure.
At this moment, Yang Xiong endured immense pain. Not only was he pouring vast amounts of soul power and mental energy into the soul core, but even the energy from his soul bones began to merge into it.
Just as Yang Xiong's mental energy was about to be completely drained, his head suddenly turned blue. The spirit bone in his head, imbued with the power of the Blue Silver King, seemed to push its strength to the limit, supporting Yang Xiong's final reserves of mental energy.
The soul core gradually solidified into a stable sphere. Within it, besides containing extreme strength, a blood-red figure began to manifest on its surface, appearing incredibly fierce.
At this moment, Yang Xiong was overjoyed. He had succeeded—he had finally condensed his first soul core.
The next step was the most crucial: integrating the soul core with his body and martial spirit. Once complete, the soul core could operate independently, rapidly absorbing energy from the surrounding air to accelerate cultivation.
Everyone present stared intently at the soul core in front of Yang Xiong, their eyes filled with awe, astonishment, and even a hint of fear.
All could sense the terrifying power contained within the soul core. It likely represented all of Yang Xiong's strength, even his concentrated blood essence. If this soul core were to explode, its power would be unimaginable.
The energy in the air seemed drawn to the soul core, rushing into it like a massive whale devouring energy from hundreds of meters—or even kilometers—away. This far exceeded the cultivation speed of a Title Douluo.
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